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Select Board hears plea for automatic door openers and portable microphones to improve accessibility
Summary
Cheryl McMahon urged the board to install automatic door openers at town meeting entrances and to provide a portable microphone for speakers with mobility limits, citing seniors and wheelchair users' difficulty accessing the hearing room.
Cheryl McMahon, who identified herself as a member of the finance committee, told the Select Board during public comment that she recently assisted a resident who had trouble using a mechanical lift to access the hearing room. She urged installing automatic door openers for two doors that force people to use a lift and asked the town to add a portable microphone so someone who cannot reach the podium can speak from their seat.
“At candidates night … she was dragging her walker,” McMahon said. “So I helped her get through the door … aside from having that horrible lift contraption instead of a real elevator, it’s one of the most short‑sighted decisions.” She noted voters passed an appropriation for building maintenance (Article 15) totaling $4,200,000 and urged using available funds to make entrances accessible.
McMahon also recommended staffed microphones at town meetings so tellers or volunteers could provide a portable mic to attendees with mobility challenges. The board took no immediate vote on McMahon’s requests but discussed logistics and acknowledged it as an item for follow‑up during building maintenance planning.
